With the ongoing discussion around non-resident hunting and the multitude of recent and proposed changes in the American West, I wanted to provide a perspective that may not frequently be seen or heard - the Canadian one.
The hunting opportunities in Canada are the stuff of legend - the biggest of big game roaming vast wilderness areas. There's one large problem - it's next to impossible for most Canadian hunters to access these hunting opportunities if they happen to fall outside their province or territory of residence. Non-resident hunting opportunities as they exist in the American West do not exist in Canada.
I live in Ontario in central Canada. I can hunt whitetail deer on an OTC license and apply for moose through a preference point system (requires between 10 - 20 points plus to get a bull firearms tag in the more accessible parts of the province) and elk (random draw, very low odds). I was fortunate to draw a bull moose rifle tag in 2019 (when the system was random draw before points were implemented in 2021) -but that is the only moose or elk tag I have drawn.
The legendary mountain hunting of Canada is found in the Canadian western provinces/territories (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories). I can't hunt any of these places without either:
a) paying for an outfitted hunt. Spending the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars necessary on these hunts simply isn't feasible for me.
b) in some very specific cases you can be "hunter hosted" by a resident (often needs to be direct family) for some species in some areas (typically less demand species in more remote areas). There is a special application process to undergo to do this. I was very fortunate to hunt mountain goat in northern British Columbia in 2019 as a result of this system - but it is inaccessible for most and was likely a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for me.
Even less exotic options like Newfoundland moose are off the table without paying for an outfitter.
Although the current dynamic around non-resident hunting in the American West is a boiling pot of controversy, I'm very envious of the opportunities available to non-residents across the American West.
I hope that states can balance protecting the interests of their resident hunters while still offering realistic access to non-resident hunters. I realize this is a delicate dance - but if done well I think it benefits wildlife, resident hunters, and non-resident hunters.
It's why in fact I am a points holder in multiple American western states myself. Ironically, my most realistic opportunity to hunt mule deer and elk are not even in my own country!
The hunting opportunities in Canada are the stuff of legend - the biggest of big game roaming vast wilderness areas. There's one large problem - it's next to impossible for most Canadian hunters to access these hunting opportunities if they happen to fall outside their province or territory of residence. Non-resident hunting opportunities as they exist in the American West do not exist in Canada.
I live in Ontario in central Canada. I can hunt whitetail deer on an OTC license and apply for moose through a preference point system (requires between 10 - 20 points plus to get a bull firearms tag in the more accessible parts of the province) and elk (random draw, very low odds). I was fortunate to draw a bull moose rifle tag in 2019 (when the system was random draw before points were implemented in 2021) -but that is the only moose or elk tag I have drawn.
The legendary mountain hunting of Canada is found in the Canadian western provinces/territories (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories). I can't hunt any of these places without either:
a) paying for an outfitted hunt. Spending the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars necessary on these hunts simply isn't feasible for me.
b) in some very specific cases you can be "hunter hosted" by a resident (often needs to be direct family) for some species in some areas (typically less demand species in more remote areas). There is a special application process to undergo to do this. I was very fortunate to hunt mountain goat in northern British Columbia in 2019 as a result of this system - but it is inaccessible for most and was likely a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for me.
Even less exotic options like Newfoundland moose are off the table without paying for an outfitter.
Although the current dynamic around non-resident hunting in the American West is a boiling pot of controversy, I'm very envious of the opportunities available to non-residents across the American West.
I hope that states can balance protecting the interests of their resident hunters while still offering realistic access to non-resident hunters. I realize this is a delicate dance - but if done well I think it benefits wildlife, resident hunters, and non-resident hunters.
It's why in fact I am a points holder in multiple American western states myself. Ironically, my most realistic opportunity to hunt mule deer and elk are not even in my own country!
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